Container



(h1-21,1958 R.D.'To| Bl-:RT,JR :ITALv 2,857,076

' CONTAINER Filed Nov. s. 195s j 1 2 sheets-sheet 1 Q n* N m www@ Q. j; 50 y JOSEPH E. BACINO and BY HJALMAR T. LuNDou/ST THEIR ATTORNEYS RLPH D. TOLBERT, JR. A

0d 21, 1953 l R; D. ToLER1-,JR ETAL 2,857,076

CONTAINER Filed Nov. a, 195s l y I n 2 Sheetsheefz INVENToRs: RALPH o. ToLBERT,JR. JOSEPH E. BAC/No mayv BY HJALMAR T. LuNDowsT THEIR ATTORNEYS United States Patent CONTAINER Application November 8, 1956, Serial No. 621,151

Claims. (Cl. 220-67) The present invention relates to a new and improved container having a side wall formed from sheet material with opposite ends thereof arranged to provide an improved joint accommodating reinforcing top and bottom rims. More particularly, the present invention provides an improved container of simplified construction.

Containers of the type within the scope of the present invention include, for example, trash receptacles, soiled clothes receptacles, yarn containers and a variety of similar receptacles for industrial as well as domestic use. Such containers must not only be constructed of light weight and durable material but, in addition, must be neat in appearance, free of protruding edges which would tear or otherwise injure stored contents, prevent loss of materials stored therein, and exclude foreign particles, such as dust, from entering.

Another requirement of such containers is that they be constructed of relatively low cost materials and be easily fabricated so as to provide a container within the economic reach of the purchaser.

Accordingly, the present invention is concerned with providing an improved container of the aforesaid characteiistics.

With reference to the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view, partially in section, of one form of container in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, partially in section, of the bottom of the container of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; A

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial perspective View of the side wall joint of the container of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a cover suitable for use `with a modied form of the container of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the cover of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a modified form of top rim for use with the cover of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side elevational view, in section, of the central portion of the cover of Fig. 6 including a deodorant container;

Fig. l0 is a top plan view of the deodorant container of Fig. 9; and

Fig. ll is a side elevational view of the deodorant container of Fig. 9.

With reference to the drawings, the container 10 includes a side wall 12 formed from sheet material with opposite ends 14 and 16 thereof in overlapping relation at 18. The inner overlapping end n14 is notched at each of its corners a peripheral distance a substantially equal to the length of the overlap to provide top and bottom rim receiving areas 22 and 24 of a single sheet thickness and of a predetermined height b. Hence, the joint joining the ends 14 and 16 of the side Wall 12 includes an overlapped joint portion 18 and top and bottom4 Patented Oct. 21 195,8

i ice butt jointed portions 22 and 24 respectively. The bottom 26 of receptacle 10 includes a vertically extending peripheral rim 28 having a side wall receiving groove 30. Groove 30 is formed by converging side walls 32 and 34, the inner side wall 32 being shorter than the outer side wall 34. The width of the groove at the bottom 36 thereof is substantially equal to the single sheet thickness forming the side Wall 12. This arrangement permits easy insertion of the bottom edge of the sheet 12 in groove 30. For the purpose of bonding the bottom 26 to the side wall 12, a liquid adhesive composition is either coated on the bottom edge of wall 12 or placed in the bottom of groove 30. By virtue of the convergency of the walls 32 and 34, the inner side of wall 34 being substantially vertically arranged, and the width of the bottom of groove 36, excess adhesive 38 is forced upwardly between the side walls 32 and 34 and the outer surfaces of sheet 12 to form a sealed joint. In the absence of such convergency, excess adhesive would overflow into the bottom of the receptacle or on to the outer surface of the rim 28 and would not only be unattractive in appearance, but would also in many instances interfere with the functional utility of the container. By this arrangement, however, a sealed joint between rim 28 and the upper edge of side Wall 12 is obtained.

In order to provide a tight joint between the bottom of the receptacle 26 and the side wallk12 and thereby prevent loss of particulated material stored in the container and prohibit entrance of foreign particles, such as dust, there is, in accordance with the present invention, a definite relation between the lengths of the side walls 32 and 34 of the rim 28 of bottom 26 and the predetermined height b of the notched area 24. In accordance with this relation, side wall 34 is of a length greater than height b and side Wall 32 is of a length less than height b. This arrangement not only permits groove 30 to be substantially the same cross-section throughout its peripheral length, butin addition, the length of side wall 34 assures the tight joint above referred to without detracting from the appearance of the container 10.

The receptacle 10 of the present invention preferably includes a top rim 40. This rim, as shown in phantom in Fig. 5, is of the same structure as is rim 28 of the bottom 26 but does not include a bottom portion.

In accordance with a further preferred feature of the present invention and for the purpose of reinforcing the receptacle 10, a plurality of reinforcing bridges 42, as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 4 are spaced about the periphery of, and interrupt the groove 30. As shown, reinforcing bridges 42 form an integral part of the rims 28 and 40. In order to accommodate the reinforcing bridges 42, the

n top and bottom edges of the side wall 12 are provided in the form of bres, is formed into paper and with complementary spaced apart notches 44.

The preferred material of construction of the side wall 12 is vulcanized fibre, a tough, resilient, hornlike material,V made by the chemical treatment of cellulose. Cellulose, the paper is then treated with a suitable jelling agent such as zinc chloride. The treating agent is applied and remo-ved in a number of successive stages with the concentration of the treating agent decreasing in each successive stage as is well known in the art. While the fibres of the paper are in a semi-gelatinous condition, enough'plies of the paper are pressed together to produce the desired thickness, the jelling agent is thereafter removed by leaching and the material is subsequently dried and finished.

yIn the finished state, vulcanized fibre of 0.040 inch thickness has an average tensile strengthy of approximately l0,900 pounds per square inch, an average Gurleyv stiffness of 137 gm., and a bursting strength of 625 pounds vper square inch. Although these values arey adequate for most of the uses of the receptacles of the present invention, it has unexpectedly been discovered that if vulcanized libre is embossed with a diamondembossed pattern as illustrated in the drawings, the Gurley stiffness and bursting strength are unexpectedly increased without substantially eifecting the tensile strength. Thus, vulcanized fibre of 0.040 inch thickness with a diamondembossed pattern having a diamond with a major diagonal axis of approximately inch and aminor diagonal axis of 1A inch, has an average tensile strength of approximately 11,170 pounds per square inch, an average Gurley stiffness of approximately 183 gm., and a bursting strength of 835 pounds per square inch. Similarly, unembossed 0.050 inch thick vulcanized fibre has an average tensile strength of 13,370 pounds per square inch, an average Gurley stiffness -of 26() gm., and a bursting strength of S75 pounds per square inch while a diamond-embossed vulcanized fibre of 0.050 inch thickness and a diamond pattern as described above has an average tensile strength of 12,520 pounds `per square inch, an average Gurley stiifness of 329 gm., and a bursting strength of over 1,000 pounds per square inch. Similar improved properties are obtained when embossing vulcanized fibre with other dirnensioned diamond patterns, as well as other shaped patterns, for example, a diamond-embossed pattern having a major diagonal axis of approximately 11/2. inch and a minor diagonal axis of 1/2 inch. Accordingly, the container wall 12 of the present invention is preferably embossed in order to improve the stiness and bursting strength properties.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, upper and lower rims 28 and 40 are preferably of one piece molded plastic, a preferred plastic being a high-irnpact polystyrene molding compound which provides strength, low cost, and resistance to cold flow and dimensional changes.

The overlapped portion 18 of the joint of wall 12 is preferably bonded by the use of a hot setting resorcinol resin glue such a Penacolyte, a proprietary product. However, for the purpose of bonding the upper and lower edges of wall 12 within the grooves 30 of rims 2S and 40, a different type of adhesive is preferably employed, a preferred adhesive being one having a slight solvent action on the molded rim parts. A suitable liquid solvent is methyl ethyl ketone or methyl isobutyl ketone. In addition, the adhesive for binding the side wall to the rims must also contain a sufficient amount of resinous and filling materials to form a viscous adhesive which will stay within the groove 30 until the molded rim portion has been softened slightly by the solvent liquid and the whole cemented into a solid mass. Contact Bond adhesive, a proprietary product of Armstrong Cork Co., is an adhesive of the type which meets these requirements.

With reference to Fig. 8, modiied upper rim 46 is identical with upper rim 40 as shown in Fig. 5 but includes an inner peripheral flange portion 48 for supporting the cover 50 as illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and 9. Cover S0, preferably of one-piece construction, includes a centrally depressed portion 52 annularly surrounding a raised portion 54, the latter serving gripping means on the upper side for lifting the cover from the receptacle 10. For reasons more apparent hereinafter, raised portion 54 is preferably of cylindrical shape at least towards the closed end thereof.

Raised .portion 54, in addition to its function as a means for permitting removal of the cover 50 from receptacle 10, also provides a convenient means for retaining a deodorant container 56 in fixed position within the coniines of the container. Deodorant container 56 serves. to retain a solid deodorant Within its confines for use in preventing mildew of materials such as dirty clothes stored in the container. and also counteracts natural odors of such stored contents.

With reference in particular to Figs. 9-1l, deodorant containerV 56 includes a plurality of slots 5S circumferentially spaced about the open end of the container to provide finger 60. Construction of container 56 of a resilient material, such as metal, permits iingers 60 to be flared outwardly and to present a container diameter, at the open end, greater than the inner diameter of the upper end of raised portion 54. This arrangement permits container 56 to be retained in position within the contines of raised portion 54. Slots 58 also serve the additional function of permitting deodorant escape to the interior of the covered container 10.

The foregoing description of the present invention is for the purpose of illustration only, and is not limiting to the scope thereof which is set forth in the claims.

What we claim is:

l. A container including a side Wall formed from sheet material wit-h opposite ends thereof in overlapping relation, one overlapping end being notched at one of its corners a peripheral distance substantially equal to the length of the overlap to provide a bottom rim receiving area of single sheet thickness and of predetermined height, and a bottom including a vertically extending peripheral rim, said rim including a side wall receiving groove having converging side walls with the inner wall shorter than the outer wall, the width of said groove at the bottom thereof being substantially equal to the side wall single sheet thickness, the length of the outer wall of thegroove being greater than, and the length of the inner wall of the groove being less than said predetermined height and said rim receiving area being inserted in said groove a distance causing the outer wall of the groove to overlap a terminal portion of the length of the overlapping ends of said side wall.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1, wherein reinforcing bridges interrupt the groove of said bottom rim at spaced points along its length and the bottom edge of said side wall is provided with complementary spaced apart notches receiving said bridges.

3. A container including a side wall formed from sheet material with opposite ends thereof in overlapping relation, one overlapping end being notched at each of its corners a peripheral distance substantially equal to the length of the overlap to provide top and bottom rim receiving areas of single sheet thickness and of predetermined heights, a bottom including a vertically extending peripheral rim and a top rim for said container, the top and bottom rims each including a side wallreceiving groove, said grooves each having converging side walls with the inner wall of each groove shorter than its outer wall, the widths of said grooves at the bottoms thereof being substantially equal to the side wall single sheet thickness, the length of the outer walls of the grooves being greater than, and the lengths of the inner Walls of the grooves being less than the predetermined heights of their respective rim receiving areas and said rim receiving areas being inserted in their respective grooves a distance causing the respective outer walls of said grooves to overlap terminal portions of the length of the overlapping ends of said side wall.

4. A container 4as set forth in claim 3 wherein reinforcing bridges interrupt the grooves of said top and bottom rims lat spaced points along their lengths and Ithe top and bottom edges of said side wall are provided with complementary spaced apart notches for receiving said bridges.

5. A container including a side wall formed from diamond embossed vulcanized bre with opposite ends thereof in overlapping relation, one overlapping end being notched at one of its corners a peripheral distance substantially equal to the length of the overlap to provide a bottom rim receiving area of single sheet thickness and of predetermined height, and a bottom including a vertically extending peripheral rim, said rim including a side ifdef References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Halsey Apr. 10, 1866 Miller Mar. 18, 1924 Bumpass May 9, 1939 Holt Oct. 11, 1955 Schell Ma-r. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS France Apr. 4, 1936 

